Album Review: Atlantic Sons – Loneliness Comes Creepin’

Atlantic Sons is the first solo project from Scottish singer-songwriter Scott Donaldson. Donaldson has been working as a professional musician in varying guises for over 20 years now, having worked with a wide variety of bands from The Prodigy to Ray Davis. However, after all these years he has finally made the decision to fly solo and Loneliness Comes Creepin’ is the result of these years of work.

Within just the first few seconds of the opening track Into the Arms of Mary, you can quickly hear the wealth of experience that Donaldson has garnered over his years on the music scene. Everything about Loneliness Comes Creepin’ has been finely honed over years and the result is a perfectly polished album that washes over you, leaving you totally relaxed and at peace. Gentle, tender and even sombre at times, songs such as She’s Leaving are melancholy but soothing medleys that are uplifted by creeping slide guitar notes. This beautiful and understated music is rife in Donaldson’s work and makes the album a constant joy to hear.

There is a wonderfully rich vein of Americana, country and blues that Donaldson sends flowing through his music. Songs like Caving In are fuelled by stunning pedal steel guitar tunes and topped off with old styled, almost gospel organs. Donaldson has clearly taken each and every experience he has had on and off stage and used his wealth of experiences to create his own unique fusion of sound. The stunning amalgamation that he has created blurs the line on so many genres that he has almost created a new one entirely for himself.

Donaldson has a soft voice that is tinged with a quiet Scottish lilt that is barely recognisable. With a gently rasped feeling to his voice, evocative of a life of cigarettes and whisky he has the ideal vocal style for his unique blend of Americana folk blues. It isn’t simply his voice however that brings wonder to his songs but also his lyrics. Donaldson is unafraid and unabashed, never shying away from the contents of his heart and mind. This gives us a series of deep and emotionally charged songs that can play your heart strings as easily as his picks his guitar. Loneliness Comes Creepin’ is a incredible ode to life and love, giving Donaldson to bear himself to the world in his entirety.

The deep and personal connection that this makes with you is indescribable. This isn’t always a cheerful album but it’s soothing in a way that borders on indescribable. This is the kind of album that can lift the weight of the world from your shoulders. So plug your headphones in, pour yourself a good measure, sit back and close your eyes.